Fire-escape laddee



Ni sr 'rns arena* FICE JOHN C. F. SALOMON, OF GEORGETOVN, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

FIRE-ESCAPE LADDER.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that JOHN C. FR. SALO- MoN, of Georgetown, in the District of Columbia, have invented a new and. useful Fire-Escape Ladder; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure l, represents the ladder extended as if suspended from a window sill. F ig. 2, the ladder closed up in portable form.

To enable others to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

l form the steps of iron of any suitable width and as thin as practicable to bear the weight required, as shown at A; commenc` ing at the top with a short step, and each successive step from that to the middle, being a trifle longer than the preceding one, sui'iicient to allow the connect-ing links B, which are riveted or otherwise made fast to the longer step, and passing through an eye or eyes a, a, in the next step, to clear the end of t-he third one; and from the middle to the bottom of the ladder the steps are gradually shortened and the entire arrangelnent the reverse of the top half until the top and bottom steps are of equal length; the links in the upper part of the ladder being made fast to each end of every step and projecting upward through eyes in the step above, and those in the lower part of the ladder projecting downward being made fast at their upper ends and sliding through eyes in the step below, by which arrangement the steps are allowed to slide on the links so as to fold closely together as shown in Fig. 2. The steps may be made of thin boiler iron, with the edges turned to give strength, and the connecting links of wire about fag to of an inch; commencing with the upper step at l2 inches long, each step from that to the middle of the ladder, will be one inch longer than the one above, and those below the middle, will shorten in the same manner the steps being one foot apart when the ladder is suspended, will make it thirty two feet long, which is sutlicient for most three story houses and the longest step will be two feet three inches and capable of being passed out at the smallest sized window; for buildings where a greater length than this is required the windows will generally be found of greater width which will allow of the middle steps being made longer, every additional inch in the width of the window will allow of two more steps; l also provide a suitable catch orl fastening as shown at C, to hook on to the lower part of the window frame or sill which is secured to the top step of the ladder.

Having thus described my invention what I claim therein as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Forming or constructing a ladder with each successive step from the end or ends longer than the one preceding it and conneet-ing said steps with each other by links B, made fast at one end to eachstep and the other end sliding through eyes a, a, in the step above or below, so that the steps can all fold closely together, in the manner substantially as described.

'In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 4 day of March eighteen hundred and fifty-two in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN C. FR. SALOMON.

Vitnesses:

SAM. SMoo'r, WM. M. SMITH. 

